CM for collective efforts to fight non-communicable diseases

Srinagar, May 10 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called for collective and collaborative efforts by researchers and medical practitioners to address the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the society.

Due to changes in lifestyle over the years, the non- communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiac ailments, cancers, etc have shown an increasing trend and it needs the collective efforts by medical scientists, practicing doctors and medicos to look at the causes, remedies and possible preventive measures, Mehbooba said here.

Mehbooba said though many massive health programmes and infrastructure have been spread all across, awareness about the spread and causes of these diseases is what can deliver the desired results.

She emphasized on adopting preventive and promotive healthcare measures to minimize the growing spread of these lifestyle diseases rather than waiting for the curative means.

Welcoming the delegates from outside the state and abroad, the chief minister hoped that they would go back to their places as the ambassadors of Kashmir.

"I would like to put on record my appreciation to distinguished doctors who have come from outside the state despite the propaganda we see on electronic media every night.

"I am many a time told by tourists that they are amazed and amused to watch the evening news (about Kashmir). They have to pinch themselves to believe that they are in the same place called Kashmir which television is talking about they make it seem so dangerous," Mehboooba said.

Minister for Health and Medical Education Bali Bhagat, in his address, hoped the recommendations from the conference would be very useful in tackling the rising trend of non- communicable diseases in the society.

He complimented SKIMS hospital for having come up as a top notch medical research centre in the state and hoped it would soon attain parity with the best institutes in the country.